Deputy of Water Department affiliated to the Iranian Ministry of Energy announced on Wednesday that the deals will be finalized within two weeks.

Rasoul Zargar added that the cabinet has approved a $ 1 billion budget to develop irrigation facilities for over 200,000 hectares throughout the country.

He also expressed satisfaction over the increasing participation of Asian and European companies in Iranian projects.

The minister of energy said last month that 76 dams are under construction nationwide and the figure is to reach 85 by next March.

Inaugurating a water distribution network related to Shirvan dam in North Khorasan province, Parviz Fattah said that within the next ten years all dams needed to harness surface water in the country are scheduled to be constructed.

He added that at present 176 dam projects are being studied, IRNA reported.

Fattah remarked that the supply of electricity and potable water for all people of the country is among the strategic targets of the government.

He further said that some 32 billion cubic meters of surface water in the country are controlled by dams and this figure will reach 40 billion cubic meters by the end of the Fourth Five-Year Development Plan (2005-2010).

Meanwhile, Fattah said that North Khorasan province would export electricity during the Iranian March 2008-2009 following the completion of Shirvan combined cycle power plant. Fattah made the remark during his visit to the power plant. He urged speedy completion of Shirvan power plant.

A Majlis deputy, Hossein Afarideh, who represents Shirvan, told IRNA that the construction of the combined cycle power plant had shown a physical progress of over 97 percent.